SELECTED CERAMIC
BUILDING MATERIALS, BEDERN, YORK
S Garside-Neville
This report covers material
specifically selected by the author of the Bedern publication. The material has been carefully examined. Weighing
and fabric determination has not been carried out, due to funding
constraints. However, the fabrics have
been generally observed, so has been commented upon.
ROMAN MATERIAL
One fragment of Roman material, a
tegula (roof tile), was examined from 1246.
MEDIEVAL MATERIAL
Of the material examined, there were
a wide variety of forms, particularly roof furniture:
Curved roof tile
These type of roof tiles date from
the 12th to the early 13th century. It
is often difficult to distinguish them from ridge tiles. However, the presence of a nail hole at the
end of the tile normally indicates a curved tile, rather than the later ridge
tile. Curved tiles are used with
flanged tiles, much in the same way as the Roman tegula and imbrex. No flanged tiles were present in this
sample, but may be in with the plain tiles, or possibly identified as
Roman. There are two examples of
curved tile in 1107, and a possible one from 7626.
Glazed plain roofing tile
For the most part, the plain tiles
examined were glazed (presumably due to the selection criteria for material for
this assessment). Glazing is not
particularly common in York, with the majority of plain tiles being left
unglazed. The glazing of roof tiles is
possibly an early feature in York that was abandoned quite quickly. Plain tiles can be either nibbed or have peg
holes, and occasionally they have both.
They are dated from the early 13th century onwards, replacing the curved
and flanged system. One example of a
peg tile was viewed. Peg tiles
predominate in York, but a typical medieval site will have a scattering of nib
tile perhaps used for repairs.
Crested ridge
The site had a variety of crested
ridge tile, with the crests varying in height, but were all of the fan-shaped
type, typical of York. A few examples
were glazed. Ridge tiles are used in
tandem with the plain tiles.
Plain ridge
Some plain ridge tile was
present. These can be confused with
curved tile, so the identifications tend to be tentative, particularly in the
case of small fragments. A fragment of
tile from 5221 appears to part of a ridge tile, but has uncharacteristic
smoothed and cut edges. It is possible
that this may be the footing for a louver, chimney or finial to be fixed to the
roof.
Hip tiles
Hip tiles, or bonnet hip tile,
provide a covering for the angle created by the obtuse exterior junctions of
two adjacent roof pitches (Armstrong, 1987, 238). Two examples were found - 1602D and 5292. These are used with the plain tiles.
Chimney pots
Medieval chimney pots are normally
dated to the 13th and 14th centuries.
There are four examples from Bedern.
The fragments in 1564 & 5181 are slightly tapered and have thumbed
strips running across the belly of the fragments; 1564 also is a rim fragment
and has sooting on the inside, although this possibly came about after it was
broken, as the sooting also seems to be on a broken edge. The piece from 5003 has stab marks piercing
right through the clay, has a green glaze, an aperture cut out, and is also
sooted on the inner surface. The
fragment from 7622 is rounder and rather bell shaped and it has thumbed strips
running vertically. These examples have
comparable features to those illustrated in Dunning (1961).
Louvers
Louvers probably served the same
function as a chimney pot, or perhaps helped with the circulation of air inside
the building. Louvers tend to be much
larger and ornate than chimney pots.
One definite example was found in the Bedern material, plus two other
possible fragments. A group of
fragments from 1418, 1427 and 1505 joined together to form about 1/8 of a
louver, at least 400mm high, with a dark green-brown glaze, a hooded aperture,
thumbed strips running vertically, and with the top ending in a relatively
narrow opening. There were also pieces
from 1225 and 1450A that were obviously of the same type of form or indeed the
same louver, by the glaze, thumbed strips and fabric. A fragment from 1156, though of a similar fabric to the above
pieces, had a flaring rim, and a light green glaze. The piece from 1174 was unglazed, had a cut edge, and was
curved, but may not be a louver, as no comparable forms were found.
Finials
Finials are decorative roof
furniture. Again, the dating evidence
from the literature suggests 13th and 14th centuries. One example was seen from the Bedern sample. A large sherd was found in 6213. It was thrown like a pot, and is possibly a
pot base, but has been decorated by the addition of two clay spurs. In the centre there is a raised shaft that
was broken before firing, as evidenced by the glaze over the break. Although the fabric is similar to that of
the thumbed strip louver, it has obviously been made by a potter, rather than a
tiler, so the identification of the pottery fabric may yield a more accurate
date.
Decorated floor tiles
Ten examples of decorated floor tiles
were examined. The fragment from
context 5114 is measures 100mm across x 22mm thick. The date of the design on this two-colour inlaid tile has not yet
been identified, but may be 14th century.
The tile from 5237, measuring 145mm across x 28mm thick is very worn,
though is obviously a two colour inlaid tile.
The fragment from 6280 is an oddity, for which a parallel has yet to be
found. Unglazed and 32mm thick, it has
a design in counter-relief, which may show the head of a figure.
There are seven tiles from the Bedern
Chapel. Context 9000, sf /117\, and
9004, sfs /11\, /13\, and /15\ have been viewed by Jennie Stopford, and date to
the mid to late 14th century, though the tiles are poorly executed, so may be a
little later. sf /14\, from 9004, has
also been seen by Stopford, who has commented that the design is 13th century,
but that the tile is not well made, and may be later than that. sf /12\ from 9004 is missing. sf /10\ from 9003 is currently an
unidentified design. It is 120mm x
118mm x 37mm. The thickness of the tile
hints that it may be 13th century (Betts, 1985, 432).
Plain glazed floor tile
There are five main groups of plain
glazed tile:
i 250mm
x 258mm x 52mm, large with no glaze.
This was present only in 1042, which is dated to m15th-e.17th century
ii From
minimum of 114mm to a maximum of 140mm breadth and from 15mm up to 20mm
thickness, this type is primarily distinguished by a white slip under a green
glaze ranging from light green with speckles, to dark green. Nailholes, in the corners and the centre of
the tile, are sometimes visible.
Contexts containing these tiles are dated from the mid thirteenth
century: U/S from 1974.13 IV, U/S from 1976.13 X, 1000, 1060, 1117, 1122, 1156,
1504, 1511, 1514, 1583, 4022, 4113, 4121, 4165, 4178, 5011, 5028, 5033, 5045,
5134, 5230, 5304, 5354, 5466B, 6162, 6170, 7036.
iii This
group measures at its largest approximately 264mm breadth and 48mm thick. The smallest measurements are 252mm x 252mm,
with a thickness of 39mm. Nailholes are
not often visible. Much of the material
is reused (with large amounts of mortar present on all surfaces, including
broken ones. There are green and yellow
glazes. The group appears in contexts
dating from the mid 15th century: U/S from 1980.20, 9000, 9007, 9017, 9019,
9039.
iv This group measures between 112mm to
120mm breadth and between 37-39mm thick.
Many of the tiles in this group are very worn, and in some cases burned,
particularly those from the Chapel.
Nailholes are visible, and there are examples of yellow and green glazed
tiles. This group appears in contexts
dated to the late 14th century: 1000, 7349, 9016
v This
group has a thickness from 25mm to 30mm, and a breadth between 108mm to
115mm. There are yellow and green
glazes, and nailholes are visible. The
tile from Bedern Hall (sf /2867\, 1979.13 XV) belongs to this group: 1040,
1074, 1130, 6051, 7058, 9004
There is a single
example of a green plain glazed tile measuring 120mm x 120mm x 30mm, which has
keying cut into the bottom surface.
This tile is from 7353 which is dated to the mid to late 14th century. According to Betts (1985, 432), keying is a
13th century feature.
A yellow (with
brown streaks) plain glazed tile that had been cut into a triangle came from
context 5333. It had two cut and broken
edges - a square tile had been scored through to half its thickness, fired and
then broken into a triangle when needed.
Normally the square tiles are scored along a diagonal, creating two
triangular, or half, tiles. This tile
had been scored crossways to each corner to create four triangles, and
therefore two scored and broken edges on the example from 5333.
Plain glazed tiles
are difficult to date. Stopford
(forthcoming) dates this type of tile to between the late 14th and early 16th
century. This means that the
distinctive slip and green glaze tiles in group ii from context 1504, which is
dated to the mid to late 13th century, are either very early, or the context
can be dated to a later period. The
next period to contain the group ii tiles is 5 (early 14th century) - contexts 1514 and 1583 - which is still
early by Stopford's reckoning. The other
groups conform to the late 14th century starting date, so perhaps group ii is
an unusually early group. It has been
stated that the tiles with nailholes (where the tiles have been pinned and
trimmed before firing) are Flemish (Betts, 1985, 44), though Stopford
(forthcoming) doubts this, due to the vast amount of this type of tile found on
English sites. Groups ii - v from
Bedern all have examples of nailholes, so may have been imported.
Mosaic tile
A single mosaic
tile came from 1980.14 IV sf/1000\, unstratified. It is a long leaf shape and is quite worn. Eames (1985, 16-19) states that this type of
tile floor was used from the early 13th century, but had passed out of fashion
by the mid 14th century.
Bricks
The brick sample
consisted mostly of, for York, classic medieval brick sizes, that can be dated
to the 14th or 15th century. The
measurements tend to be around 260mm x 133mm x 35mm (ie. long, broad and thin
compared to today's standards). A few
examples did not conform to these measurements, and have consequently been
given a 16th to mid 18th century date range, using Betts' (1985) measurements.
Stone roof tile
There is only one
example of stone roofing from the site.
It was made of limestone, and had a circular nail hole.
Wall tile
A small fragment of
blue and white tin glazed Delftware tile dating to the 18th century was found
in 9025.
Fabrics
The fabrics were
only generally observed. In the plain
glazed roof tile, a few new or rare fabrics were noted. As already stated, the louvers may be of a
pottery fabric. The plain and decorated
floor tile were the first group seen by the author, so no statement can be made
on rarity, etc.
Comments and recommendations
The sample of
material seen has a wide and varied range of forms and fabrics. To gain full understanding of the site's
ceramic building material the assemblage, including the plain tile (currently
an unknown factor), should be fully recorded.
This would not only create an information base from which to compare
material from other sites within York, but may bring about firmer dating and a
deeper understanding of the buildings within Bedern. By carefully examining and analysing the plain roof tile, it may
be possible to identify products associated with the Vicar's Choral tileworks
at Spitalcroft. Other benefits would
include the discarding of material, which would create more storage space.
The lithology of
the stone tile could be identified. The
fact that there is only one example (another possible example from the site is
currently lost) may point to the possibility that others were discarded on
site. It is recommended that the site
records are examined to see if any others were recorded, but then not
collected. It is possible that a
building, or buildings, on the site may have been roofed with stone.
Some material
should be referred to pottery experts for fabric identification, particularly
the louvers, finials and chimneys. More
accurate dating may be gained.
This is an
excellent sample, and should be further studied in order to extract the
information about the site and the ceramic building materials industry in York
that it can undoubtedly yield.
Bibliography
Armstrong P & S J, 1987 'The clay roof tile'
in Excavations in High St and Blackfriargate, East Riding
Archaeologist
Betts I M, 1985 A scientific investigation of the brick and tile industry
of York to the mid 18th century, University of Bradford, unpublished PhD
thesis
Eames E, 1985 English
Medieval tile, British Museum Publications
Dunning G C, 1961 'Medieval
chimney pots' in Studies in building history, ed. E M Jope, Odhams
Stopford J, forthcoming 'The tiles ' The
Gilbertine Priory of St Andrew,
Fishergate, Archaeology of York, AY11/2, CBA
Listing of dates
of brick and tile
NB: The dates given
are independent of the period/phasing data.
Context Forms (Fragments) Date
u/s 1980.20 Floor l.14-e.16
u/s 1980.14 IV Mosaic
tile e.13-m.14
u/s IV Floor
(4) l.14-e.16
Bedern Hall Floor
/2867\ l.14-e.16
1000 Floor l.14-e.16
1003 Plain 13-15
1028 Brick 14-15
1039 Crested ridge
(2);Floor l.14-e.16
1040 Floor l.14-e.16
1042 Floor (2); Brick (3) l.14-e.16
1055 Brick (2) 14-15
1060 Floor l.14-e.16
1061 Plain 13-15
1072 Plain; Ridge 13-15
1074 Floor (14) l.14-e.16
1078 Crested ridge 13-15
1107 Curved (2) ?12-e13
1117 Floor (3) l.14-e.16
1122 Floor (2) l.14-e.16
1130 Crested ridge; Floor
(23) l.14-e.16
1155 Crested ridge (2) 13-15
1156 Floor; Louver l.14-e.16
1174 Louver 13-14
1212 Crested ridge l.14-e.16
1225 Louver 13-14
1246 Tegula Roman
1338 Plain (2) 13-15
1418 Louver 13-14
1427 Louver 13-14
1442 Crested ridge 13-15
1450A Louver;
Ridge 13-15
1454 Plain 13-15
1504 Floor l.14-e.16
1505 Louver 13-14
1511 Floor (22) l.14-e.16
1514 Floor l.14-e.16
1516 ?Ceramic plaque ?16th+
1528 Brick 14-15
1549 Ridge 13-15
1564 Chimney 13-14
1565 Brick 14-15
1570 Crested ridge 13-15
1583 Crested ridge; Floor l.14-e.16
1590 ?Crucible Med
1597 ?Crucible Med
1602D ip
tile 13-15
1648 Crested ridge 13-15
1733 ?Plain ?13-15
1743 ?Plain ?13-15
1774 ?Curved ?12-e13
1779 Crested ridge 13-15
4007 Plain 13-15
4022 Floor l.14-e.16
4047 Ridge 13-15
4089 Brick; Crested ridge 14-15
4100 Brick 14-15
4113 Floor (4) l.14-e.16
4121 Floor l.14-e.16
4165 Floor l.14-e.16
4178 Floor (4) l.14-e.16
4261 Plain 13-15
4375 Crested ridge 13-15
4484 Crested ridge (7) 13-15
4493 Crested ridge (2) 13-15
5003 Chimney 13-14
5011 Floor l.14-e.16
5028 Floor l.14-e.16
5033 Brick; Floor l.14-e.16
5034 Brick (2) 14-15
5039 Brick (2) 16-m.18
5040 Brick 16-m.18
5043 Brick 16-m.18
5045 Brick; Floor 16-m.18
5055 Brick 14-15
5069 Brick 16-m.18
5108 Brick (2) 16-m.18
5111 Brick 16-m.18
5114 Decorated floor ?14
5132 Crested ridge; Plain 13-15
5134 Floor l.14-e.16
5146 Crested ridge 13-14
5181 Crested ridge (2);
Chimney 13-15
5187 Crested ridge 13-15
5196 Brick (2) 14-15
5203 Plain 13-15
5204 Crested ridge 13-15
5221 ?Ridge ?13-15
5230 Floor l.14-e.16
5235 Brick 14-15
5237 Decorated floor l.14-e.16
5250 Crested ridge 13-15
5256 Brick (2) 14-15
5273 ?Crested ridge ?13-15
5292 Hip tile; Plain; Peg 13-15
5293 Plain 13-15
5304 Floor l.14-e.16
5306 Crested ridge 13-15
5318 Brick 14-15
5325 Crested ridge 13-15
5333 Floor l.14-e.16
5354 Floor l.14-e.16
5363 Crested ridge 13-15
5412 Brick (2) 14-15
5445 Ridge 13-15
5466B Floor l.14-e.16
5488 Crested ridge 13-15
6003 Brick 14-15
6008 ?Roof furniture ?13-15
6041B Modern brick 19-20
6025 Brick 14-15
6051 Floor l.14-e.16
6061 ?Pot Med
6079 Crested ridge 13-15
6136 Brick 14-15
6149 Brick 14-15
6162 Floor l.14-e.16
6170 Floor l.14-e.16
6195 Brick 14-15
6196 Brick 14-15
6213 Finial 13-14
6217 Crested ridge 13-15
6240 Plain 13-15
6271 Brick 14-15
6280 Decorated floor 13-16
6294 Brick 14-15
6315 Plain 13-15
6320 Plain 13-15
6346 Plain l.14-e.16
6357 Crested ridge 13-15
7006 Stone roof Med
7025 Crested ridge; Ridge
(2) 13-15
7036 Floor l.14-e.16
7058 Floor l.14-e.16
7045 ?Pot Med
7087 Brick 14-15
7148 Plain 13-15
7349 Floor l.14-e.16
7353 Floor (keying) l.14-e.16
7588 Crested ridge 13-15
7596 Plain 13-15
7622 Chimney 13-14
7626 ?Curved ?12-e13
9000 Floor (5); Decorated
floor /117\ l.14-e.16
9003 Decorated floor /10\ 13-15
9004 Floor (3); Decorated
floor /11\-/15\ l.14-e.16
9007 Floor (12, inc /14\) l.14-e.16
9016 Floor (33) l.14-e.16
9017 Floor l.14-e.16
9019 Floor l.14-e.16
9023 Bricks (9) 14-15
9025 Wall tile 18+
9039 Floor l.14-e.16
9068 Plain 13-15
7/94